Fears ’cost effective measures’ leave Cleveland youth detention staff under protected
Three staff members have been seriously assaulted by “violent” and “aggressive” juvenile inmates at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre, leaving staff feeling unsafe and under protected.
Townsville
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Three staff members have been seriously assaulted by “violent” and “aggressive” juvenile inmates at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre, leaving officers feeling unsafe and under-protected.
A source told the Townsville Bulletin thatlongstanding concerns came to a head recently when three officers suffered horrific injuries, including broken arms, noses and eye sockets.
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On Friday, an assault by a 16-year-old boy left an officer with a broken nose and eye socket, the source said. On Saturday, the same inmate assaulted another officer, leaving them with a broken nose.
The source said the spate of assaults was followed by another on Tuesday when a “very dominant, very violent and very aggressive” 17-year-old boy ripped a phone from the wall and bashed an officer, breaking their arm.
“Staff have raised concerns over the management of this young person time and time again,” the source said. “Staff members are refusing to work with this young person.”
The source said there were no repercussions for the teenager, who was allowed to continue with schooling and programs the day after.
The assaults follow 14 staff from Cleveland Youth Detention Centre being sent to Wacol’s Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.
“We are struggling to man the centre as it is. On top of that, we’ve sent down a management team,” the source said. “We have a centre that is running on cost-effective measures.”
Youth Minister Di Farmer confirmed the assaults and said the department was supporting the three injured staff.
She said there was a sufficient number of staff to manage the number of inmates detained in Cleveland at the time. “I have been advised by the Department of Youth Justice that there are more than sufficient staff at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre to ensure the centre operates safely and as normal,” she said.
“There were 69 young people at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre (on Wednesday), with a capacity for 112.
“(Cleveland) currently has enough staff to support 112 young people even though the centre is only occupied by 69 young people.”
She said the assaults “were not a result of staff shortages”.
Australian Workers Union northern district secretary Luke Mangano said the union had “received assurances that Cleveland will remain fully staffed and staff to young person ratios maintained during this time”.
“While we certainly appreciate the seriousness of the current situation in Brisbane, we’ve been clear that any redeployments down there can’t come at the expense of operational capacity in Townsville,” Mr Mangano said. “Attacks on staff in these facilities are totally unacceptable; anyone involved in this behaviour should be held accountable.
“The AWU has consistently pushed for tougher penalties for young people involved in violent assaults on detention officers, and we make no apologies for putting the safety of our members first.”
Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto fears riots could break out in Cleveland Youth Detention Centre with staff being called to Brisbane.
“This is an incredibly dangerous situation. It won’t take long for the inmates to realise there are less eyes watching them.
“There’s every chance we could see another riot break out there,” he said.
Originally published as Fears ’cost effective measures’ leave Cleveland youth detention staff under protected